Non-volatile storage devices are used to store a variety of types of material. For example, CD's and DVD's store material such as movies, music, books and software programs. In these applications, the CD's and DVD's are typically programmed at a manufacturing facility and distributed to intermediaries for distribution to consumers. The intermediaries, such as retail stores and video rental stores, sell and/or rent the programmed devices to the consumer for home use.
Consumers forego the cost of buying a CD or DVD by renting it from a rental store at a lower fee. In rental situations, the burden is placed on the consumer to go to the rental store to pick up the device, which must be done during the store's regular business hours. Also, the consumer must return the rented device to the rental store within a set number of days to avoid paying a late fee.
The intermediaries and producers of the material stored on the CD's and DVD's maintain control over distribution of the material by charging a late fee. The late fee can be as much or more than the cost of buying the programmed device. By maintaining some control over distribution, the intermediaries and producers are ensured of receiving their share of the money for use of the material.
Readers and players for CD's and DVD's include a motor and mechanisms for loading and unloading the storage device. The motor spins the device at a high rate of speed for reading the device. The motor and mechanisms include moving parts, which can lead to reliability problems. In addition, the motor and mechanisms add bulk to the readers and players and have power requirements, which limit the suitability of CD's and DVD's for portable applications. Also, the size of the CD's and DVD's can make transporting a number of these devices cumbersome.